Family
by The Corsair's Quill
Summary: Three times Emma wanted have a family with Killian and the one time who gets her wish.


She thought of it for the first time when she saw him holding James, her little brother, and cooing at him. When he'd looked up to see her observing them, he blushed, clearing his throat as he handed the baby back to her father. She smiled as she thought what a good father he'd make.

What a good father to _their_ children, perhaps? she thought, her eyes widening as soon as it occurred to her, dismissing it immediately as silly. But as she stared at him from the corner of her eyes, seeing how taken he was to the baby, how his eyes shined with tenderness, she began thought maybe it wasn't so silly.

She shook herself from her musing as he approached her, his lips tilted up into a smirk.

-/-

The second time she contemplated their future it was a few months since they'd started…dating, to put it mildly.

She'd just returned from a very long shift at the station, wanting nothing but to soak in a hot bath for hours, letting all the tension float away. She sighed, already imagining the warmth of the water as she hung up her coat.

Not a second later a small body crashed into her, hugging her legs and squealing in delight as her _boyfriend _(God, that did _not_ sound right!) roared playfully, jumping in front of the boy before he noticed Emma there.

"Oh, hello love," he greeted, as if he hadn't just _roared-_he freaking roared!-at Robin Hood's son.

She raised her eyebrows silently, trying not to grin in amusement. "Guess who's staying over tonight?" he asked, grinning widely.

"Me!" Roland answered, piping up and jumping up and down with uncontrolled excitement that only a four year old could muster up. She couldn't help but grin back in return, bending down and picking him up.

"Is that so?" she teased, bumping noses with him, her eyes crinkling in the corners.

He nodded, pushing her cheeks together and laughing as her lips puckered up. "Killian gave me ice-cream!" he shouted at the top of his voice, bouncing in her arms, almost making her drop him. She reluctantly placed him on his feet, letting him run back to the room he came from.

She turned to her pirate, frowning. "You gave a four year old ice-cream before bed time?" she scolded. "Now he's hoped up on sugar and won't sleep. And Regina will blame me when he's all cranky tomorrow morning."

"Sorry?" he asked, having the decency to look sheepish. Licking his lips in that sinfully illegal way only he could, he stepped closer, crowding her. "Maybe you could punish me later of it," he suggest, his voice rough and slurring, his eyes hooded.

Her breath hitched as she swayed towards him, almost losing herself his lust darkened eyes. She licked her own lips as she leaned forward, her lips grazing his. "Maybe later," she whispered, her voice taking on a sultry quality. Grinned at his dazed look, she pulled back. "Maybe later you can clean the dishes," she finished, winking and moving around him, deliberately, suggestively grazing against him.

"Roland, do you want to watch a movie?" she called out.

The child ran out, clinging onto a purple monkey, exclaiming his affirmation on top of his voice. Killian shook out of his stupor, sliding behind her, bending forward to growl into her ear, "Oh, you are a cruel woman, Swan."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she replied, her face one of innocence. "Come on, Roland. We're going to watch Peter Pan," she grinned as he groaned, grumbling about _"bloody waxed mustaches"_.

After two movies and a lot of popcorn, the kid finally passed out, his head resting on Emma's lap. She ran her fingers through his soft hair, a smile gracing her lips.

"What're you thinking about, Swan?" he asked, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up at him, her smile widening. He looked like he knew _exactly _what she had been thinking about, his eyes endless, shining with love-for her!- and joy.

"Nothing," she sighed happily, cupping his cheek. "I love you."

"As I love you," he said, kissing her palm lovingly. "Now, let's put this lad to bed, aye?" he asked, effortlessly carrying Roland in his arms.

She felt her throat close up when he saw him tuck the boy in bed, carefully brushing his hair away from his face, lingering for a moment. He smoothed the quilt and walked away, closing the door slightly. She wordlessly pulled him towards her, kissing him with such tenderness it threw him off for a moment even as he kissed her back.

"What was that about?" he smiled, tracing the apple of her cheek with his fingers.

She simply hummed in response, hugging him as she imagined him tucking in children with dark hair and green eyes.

-/-

The third time, she hadn't expected to even think about starting a family with him.

She was furious, beyond furious actually, as she barged into the loft, slamming the door behind her. Her hands clenched at her side when he heard him storm inside behind her, barely hindered by the closed door.

"What the bloody hell was that, Swan?" he demanded, anger clear in his voice.

She whirled around, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline, her expression half-murderous and half-incredulous. "Are you serious?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?" he shot back still angry.

"Hey! I'm the only one who gets to be angry here!" she shouted.

"What are you angry about? Me saving your son's life?!" he demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"By jumping in front of a bullet?!" she spat, her breathing ragged as she remembered his unmoving form, blood quickly spreading around him. "Are you insane?!" she growled, moving towards him, pushing on his chest.

He stumbled back slightly, but he straightened up. "Oh, forgive me, _darling_," he sneered, pissing her off even more. "I didn't know it was such a heinous crime to save somebody's life. Somebody who just happens to be your son, I might add," he snapped.

She shut her mouth with an audible click, still glaring at him. "Besides, Regina healed me, didn't she? No need to blow your top over nothing." he added, blind to her distress.

She slapped him. Hard. His hand reached up to touch his stinging cheek, his blue eyes wide in shock. She was trembling, her eyes filling up as she swiped angrily at her tears. She pushed him again, "I could have lost you, you idiot!" she cried, hitting his chest with balled fists. "You could have died!" she continued hitting him and he let her, barely feeling her blows.

"God, you just don't even think! You just run head first into danger! Always!" she screamed, slamming her hands against his chest and pushing him away.

"Do you even think about me? What would happen to me if something were to happen to you?" she cried, her face wet with tears.

"Emma-" he began but she cut him off.

"It would destroy me," she whispered, rendering him speechless. Looking up at him, she repeated. "It would _destroy _me, do you understand?"

He swallowed hard, pulling her roughly towards him and hugged her tight. "Yes. I understand. I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, everywhere, mumbling 'sorry's between each kiss.

She pulled him towards her mouth, capturing his in a rough kiss, teeth clashing and biting, tongues battling for dominance.

He turned them around, pushing her against the wall. He ripped her shirt off as he proceeded to kiss down her chest, nipping at the top her breast as she tangled her hands in his hair, urging him on and moaning low in her throat.

Later, _hours later_, they lay on their bed, sheets tangled around them messily as they struggled to catch their breath, completely sated.

"I should make you angry more often," he rasped teasingly. "if this what I need to make you forgive me."

She swatted at him, not even trying to make an effort. He laughed as he pulled his into his arms, his stump resting against her bare, sweat slicked back as he ran his fingers up and down her arm.

"Don't ever do that again," she mumbled.

"Swan…" he sighed, resting his cheek against hers.

She lifted her head to face him. "No, I'm serious. You can't put your life in danger like that, Killian."

"Emma, I can't promise that. I will never stop protecting you and the people you love-that I have come to love," he replied honestly. "But I will never leave you. Ever. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's surviving and now I have more than enough motivation to do that," he assured. pressing his lips against hers in a chaste kiss.

She sighed, nodding and rested her head back against his chest, listening to his steady heart beat as it lulled her to sleep.

"Let's get married," she mumbled, tracing patterns on his chest. She felt his freeze, his fingers stilling as they clenched. "Wh-What?" he stuttered, sitting up abruptly, making Emma grumble as she too sat up.

"Let's get married," she stated, as if she was telling him that the sky was blue.

"Are you serious?" he choked out, his eyes wider than they'd ever been as he paled.

"Of course I am," she smiled, grabbing his hand. "I love you and if today proved anything, it's that anything can happen at any moment. And I want to always be by your side when it happens, as your _wife_," she emphasised.

He blinked, as he pulled his hand from hers. "No…" he trailed off, running his hand over his face.

Her smile fell off her face, her heart thudding to a stop. She sucked in a sharp breath trying to compose her face. "What?" she whispered, her voice cracking. A hundred scenarios of him walking away flashed through her mind, each one more painful than the next.

He slipped off the bed, coming around to her side. "No, Emma," he repeated, his words making her heart break. "That's not how you do it," he began, rummaging around in their bedside draw, buck naked she might add. He knelt next to her side, opening the box in his hand. "Will _you_ marry me, Emma Swan?" he grinned.

She felt the tears spring in her eyes as she realised that he wasn't leaving her. He _loved her. _He wasn't going to leave her.

"Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you have to say-" he got cut off as she threw her arms around his neck and hugging him tight.

He smiled as he hugged her back. "Well?" he probed, as she pulled back.

"What do you think?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Plucking the ring from it's case, he wordlessly slipped it over her finger and kissed her soundly, as pushed her back on the bed.

"I can't wait to start a family with you," he joked, nipping at her collarbone.

Her heart fluttered at that thought. _Me neither_, she agreed silently.

-/-

The fourth time, she just couldn't wait to tell him about their soon to be expanded family. She placed her hand over her belly, as she woke up with a smile on her face.

That was until she heard his retching from the bathroom. She frowned in concern, pushing the covers off herself and got up.

"Killian?" she called, rapping on the bathroom door. They'd moved into a new house, a bigger one, facing the ocean a few months after they'd gotten married.

As she heard him throw up again, her frown deepened. One thing she was grateful for was that she didn't have morning sickness this time. With Henry it was awful and she had been dreading it, but thankfully she'd been spared.

She moved back as she heard the toilet flush and her husband stumbled out of the door, his face wan and sweaty.

"Oh, honey," she mumbled, pressing the back of her hand on his forehead. "You should go back to bed," she suggested.

"Why?" he frowned.

"What do you mean why?" she asked. "You're sick," she pointed out.

"No, I'm not," he argued childishly.

"Killian, you were throwing up not a minute ago," she said slowly, as if talking to a 3 year old not a 300 year old.

He scoffed, which soon turned into a cough. "I'm" cough "I'm" cough "I'm" cough "Dammit! I'm not sick, Swan!" he snapped, crossing his arms across his chest as he struggled not to cough.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she said, pushing him towards the bed. "and it's Jones, not Swan," she smiled down at him, pulling the covers over him.

"You'll always be Swan to me, love," he smiled back, only to go back to his coughing fit.

She tutted, "Rest. I think you may be getting a fever."

"I don't fall sick!" he called out after her, his voice rough.

He did fall sick. In a matter of hours, he got his fever, threw up twice and now couldn't stop sneezing as his chest got congested.

"Sure you're not sick," she teased, wiping his brow with a wet towel.

"I don't," he grumbled, as he began sneezing again. He growled in annoyance, rubbing his chest.

"Wait, I have something that might help," she said, grabbing the vaporub from the bedside table. She warmed it by rubbing it together in her hand before she applied it to his chest in gentle circles. He hummed in contentment as she steadily continued rubbing his chest, falling asleep to the soft movements of her hands.

When he next woke up, he felt much better, his fever almost fully gone and his stomach not rolling anymore. He sat up, leaning against the pillows. He scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to wake up fully.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Emma smiled. "I was just about to come wake you up myself. I brought you soup."

He blinked as she sat next to him, lifting the bowl from the tray. "You okay?" she asked, concerned, as she lifted her hand to his forehead. "You don't have a fever," she mumbled.

He grabbed her hand in his own, "It's not that, love," he replied, smiling adoringly at her.

"Then what is it?" she asked as she blew on his soup before feeding him a mouthful.

He swallowed before he answer. "You." He smiled at her confused look. "You remind me of my own mother. How she used to care for me when I fell sick," he said, running his hand over her cheek. "She was beautiful too, from what I can remember."

Even as she teared up-stupid hormones, nothing else- she said, "Tell me more about her."

"I remember she used to sing me to sleep. Couldn't carry a tune," he chuckled, "but I loved it when she sang. We didn't have much in the way of money, but every name day of ours she used to buy sweet cake for me and Liam," he recounted, lost in his memories. "She was a wonderful person, kind, smart. But-but she passed away after I turned eight," he finished sadly, looking down.

"I'm so sorry, Killian," Emma soothed, squeezing his hand.

"Worry not, love. I've made my peace with it," he smiled. He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles, rubbing his thumb over them. "You'll make a wonderful mother some day, Emma. I'm certain of it," he said with conviction.

She felt her breath hitch, her stomach full of nervous butterflies. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell him, but she felt frozen. Misunderstanding her silence, he stumbled over his words. "I didn't mean some day soon. When you want it. _If_ you want it," he amended. "I'm happy with just us and Henry. I didn't mean to-"

She stopped his rambling with a kiss, nipping his lip as she pulled back. "Killian, stop," she laughed. As the nervousness returned, she looked down at their joined hands. "I'm pregnant," she stated finally as she looked up at him with a large smile on her face.

His eyes widened comically as he let out a jovial laugh. "I'm to be a father?" he grinned, his heart stuttering to a stop before it sped up again.

"Yes," she grinned back, unable to hold off her excitement any longer. "Yes, we're going to have a baby."

"Oh, Swan," he muttered, pulling her towards him, kissing her deeply. "Thank you," he said, choking around the lump in his throat. "for giving me the greatest gift any man could ever deserve."

Then, as he pulled her under him, he proceeded to show her _how_ thankful he was.


End file.
